2020 Apple Crop Projected Slightly Down From Last Year
August 21, 2020 The U.S. Apple Association agrees with USDA’s Aug. 12 estimate of 253.6 million bushels – down 3% from the 2019 crop and 2% from the five-year average – which would be the ninth-largest crop since the government department began reporting apple production in the 1940s.
USApple made the determination this week at the organization’s 125th Annual Crop and Outlook Marketing Conference, which was held on-line, attracting about 120 attendees.
Looking at a regional breakdown, the East apple crop is expected to be off by 8% from last year and down 9% from the five-year average. In the Midwest, the crop is forecast is on par with last year, down 9% from the five-year average. And in the West, the crop is expected down 3% but up 5% on the five-year average.
Growers attending the meeting from Washington State, which dominates production with close to 2/3 of the nation’s crop, were quick to add that the estimates are for the amount of fruit on the trees. Washington marketers say the amount that will actually be sold on the fresh market this coming year will definitely be lower than last year.
By variety, the top five produced cultivars are: 1) ‘Gala’ 2) ‘Red Delicious’ 3) ‘Honeycrisp’ 4) ‘Granny Smith’ and 5) ‘Fuji’.
The top three varieties – ‘Gala’, ‘Red Delicious’, and ‘Honeycrisp’ – comprise 48% of all production. The top five varieties (adding ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Fuji’) comprise 67%.
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